Grain silos converted into art museum

© Heatherwick Studios

The R500m project, announced in November 2013 as a partnership between the V&A Waterfront and Jochen Zeitz, will retain and honour the historic fabric and soul of the building while transforming the interior into a unique, cutting-edge space to house the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (Zeitz MOCAA). Considered the most extensive and representative collection of contemporary art from Africa, the Zeitz Collection will be showcased in 9,500m² of custom-designed space spread over nine floors, of which 6,000m² will be dedicated exhibition space.

Respecting the heritage

© Heatherwick Studios

"Thomas Heatherwick understood how to interpret the industrial narrative of the building, and this was the major breakthrough," David Green, CEO of the V&A Waterfront, said. "His design respects the heritage of the building while bringing iconic design and purpose to the building. Under his mentorship as lead designer, local partners stand to gain not only in experience but insights and knowledge sharing."

Green said that from the outset, the V&A Waterfront knew they wanted to repurpose the Grain Silo Complex, disused since 1990, in a manner that would combine ingenuity, resourcefulness and beauty. By preserving and representing the building as a centre piece for the District and as a cultural institution, its character and personality will be honoured.

Speaking on the challenges of this project, Heatherwick explained that unlike many conversions of historic buildings which have grand spaces ready to be repurposed, this building has none. The project has become about imagining an interior carved from within an infrastructural object whilst celebrating the building's character.

Oval atrium

© Heatherwick Studios

The solution developed by Heatherwick Studio was to carve galleries and a central circulation space from the silos' cellular concrete structure to create an exceptionally spacious, cathedral-like central atrium filled with light from an overhead glass roof. The architects have cut a cross-section through eight of the central concrete tubes. The result will be an oval atrium surrounded by concrete shafts overhead and to the sides.

The other silo bins will be carved away above ground level leaving the rounded exterior walls intact. Inside pristine white cubes will provide gallery spaces not only for the Zeitz MOCAA permanent collection, but also for international travelling exhibitions. Zeitz MOCAA will have 80 galleries, 18 education areas, a rooftop sculpture garden, a state of the art storage and conservation area, and Centres for Performative Practice, the Moving Image, Curatorial Excellence and Education.

Changes on outside

Cylindrical lifts rise inside bisected tubes and stairs spiral upwards like giant drill bits. The shafts are capped with strengthened glass that can be walked over, drawing light down into the building. The monumental façades of the silos and the lower section of the tower are maintained without inserting new windows.

From the outside, the greatest visible change is the creation of special pillowed glazing panels, inserted into the existing geometry of the grain elevator's upper floors, which bulge outward as if gently inflated. By night, this transforms the building's upper storeys into a glowing lantern or beacon in the harbour.